10.25.2016

Celebrating Lou Wilson on the 75th Anniversary of His Birth - October 25, 2016

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Well, this is October 25, 2016 - and Lou Wilson, the love of my life, would have celebrated his 75th Birthday! I kind of procrastinated writing this - but it's been on my mind for the last few weeks actually. It's because we had made so many plans about where we would be and what we would be doing at this point in our lives.We fully intended to be sitting on our front porch, either in our swing (oh yes, we planned on having a porch swing!) or the cliche` rocking chairs, watching our grandkids do their thing. Lou wanted to be a professor in ethnomusicology - perhaps at Lincoln U - but definitely involved in imparting his knowledge and love for music to the future generation of avant grade musicians and vocalists. He loved to teach and was a stickler for getting a good educational background.

I know that right about now, our kids - Ki, Ra, Di and Vic - are remembering their Dad fondly. Each of them has inherited a bit of his talent, personality and wisdom. And his brothers, Ric, Carlos and Wolf are taking a moment to pause and treasure the times they spent together from boyhood to manhood to one of the most magnificent music group on the planet - MANDRILL!As for our grandkids - the sadness is they missed getting to know him as he had wished they would. He took such great pride in each of them - and if they get one-quarter of the talent he passed on through his DNA, they are going to be awesome!!! Actually, they already are. Thank goodness there is so much of his music to listen to and share and enjoy. He left a monumental body of work - because he exuded music from his pores.

At times, I am more at peace with his having joined the Ancestor/Angels. I can now at least listen to his music without falling to pieces. I am sharing with you the homage I paid to Lou last year - for his 74th Birthday - Not because I have nothing new to say, but because he always liked to keep things short and sweet - and because it is as true now as it was last year.

Whenever you listen to any music by Mandrill, just remember the lyrics and the music were written, composed, arranged by this iconic musical genius. Each one a masterpiece - whether it made the charts or not. He was as much an ethnomusicologist as he was an artist. He loved music from all cultures. We had a musical house, and anything and everything could be transformed into a musical instrument once it found its way into his hands. Our handsome son, Rais, channels a lot of his dad's talents in so many wonderful ways - is breaking new ground, stepping outside the proverbial box. So do our wonderful grandchildren - so in many ways - Lou may not be here among us on this plane of action, but he is being reborn daily through all of them - we have 5 - our eldest just started college this year - he would be so proud. Every time you listen to his music, he's being reborn. Listen to his lyrics and you get the full measure of who Lou Wilson was/is. His deep, philosophical underpinnings are in the lyrics of the songs he wrote. His love of people was expressed through is lyrics. Even during the period of our separation, I always loved his music - MANDRILL will always be the tops for me in original composition and quality. Each one of those Wilson brothers was a master musician in their own right - Ric, Carlos, Wolf - and most of all Lou - who was the inspiration and founder of the group with his very talented brothers 46 years ago. Also remember that he loved children and always sought to educate them - teach them something new and watch the look of wonderment in their eyes as they began to grasp it. He was always teaching. He did it with our children, the neighbors' children, and any little person who came into his environment. He loved knowledge.He/we also loved good, clean comedy - especially Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby and Carol Burnette. Being a class clown himself, we could sit and watch comedy shows for hours on end - there is a genius behind being able to tell a joke and get a laugh - and he seemed to have mastered that craft - and passed it on to our son, as well.Since I'm keeping this salute brief, I will close with something we used to sing to each other at the end of each phone conversation - it was originally by Carol Burnette, one of our favorite comediennes: "I'm so glad we had this time together..."Happy Birthday Lou - we love and miss you very much! Give my greetings to Mom and Dad Wilson; my parents, Ruby and Warner Dulan, and to Gil Scott Heron ( I know you two are collaborating on something great), Prince, Alonzo, JiTu Weusi, and all our wonderful friends. And yes, I still love cooking! lol Stay Blessed &ECLECTICALLY BLACKMuch Love from GLO